Page 38 of Forever Your Touch

“Are we feeding an army? Didn’t invite your frat brothers over or anything?”

He laughed, his eyes twinkling. “Nope. Trust me, what you don’t eat, I will.”

“Do you have some kind of eating death wish?”

“Nah, I just eat a lot.”

She glanced from him to the food set out on the table. “Where does it all go?”

He patted his stomach. “Right here.”

“How are you not five hundred pounds?”

“I work out. Daily. All my brothers do. We eat like pigs, so we work to keep these hot bodies.”

“You think you’re hot, do you?”

“I sure do.” He gave her a smile she could only classify as the most charming thing she’d ever seen. “Just ask the girls around campus.”

Those poor girls. Did they even stand a chance against a smile like that?

She passed him a plate and cup. “What kind of pizza did you get?”

“I got two supremes and one pepperoni, Italian sausage, and mushroom. That’s all yours. I kept the mushrooms off mine.”

He didn’t even bother with a plate, just pulled one of the boxes over to him and lifted out a piece. She took one of the slices from the box and placed it on her plate before filling both cups with Coke, careful not to accidentally knock the cups over as she was prone to do.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” She passed him a cup.

“How did you meet Ray?”

She pursed her lips. Was he trying to dig out information he could use against her? Her brother was famous for doing that.

“I’m just curious, Josephine. I’m not your brother.”

“How did you know that’s what I was thinking?”

“Your eyes are expressive, sugar. It was right there for me to read. I promise, I’m only curious.”

She took another bite of her pizza and studied him. He looked sincere enough. He hadn’t lied to her yet that she knew about. Why not? If he got to know Ray better through her, Mason might actually start liking him instead of trying to find imaginative ways of murdering her boyfriend. Mason had become very important to her, and she wanted them all to be friends.

“I met him in high school. I was a sophomore, and he was a senior. I had gone to sit on the bleachers for lunch. I remember being pissed at my best friend for something, I don’t even remember what. I wanted a little time to myself.” She smiled, remembering that day. “Ray plopped down beside me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I had my headphones in and my head down playing a game on my phone.”

“So, you were a gamer even back then?”

Jo laughed. “I was a gamer from the time I could pick up a controller. My sisters never much cared for it, but Keith and I lived on a game console to the point my parents used to lock up whatever console we were playing just so we’d go outside and get some sunshine. Once Keith got into football, my parents stopped worrying about him.”

“But not you?” Mason shoved another slice of pizza into his mouth, eating half in one bite. How the hell did he do that? It was kinda gross, yet oddly fascinating.

“No. I liked games more than I did people at one point. It wasn’t until my mom got me to try out for cheerleading that I started focusing on other things outside of games. The blonde hair fit the part more than my cheerleading skills back in junior high. I didn’t care. Keith and I were always close, and I missed him when he got consumed in football. Being a cheerleader gave me back my brother.”

“Did Ray play?”

“No. He’s as unathletic as they come. It’s why I was so surprised to see him on the bleachers that day. He caught me before I face planted and embarrassed myself even more.”

“He was there to talk to you.” Mason nodded, a knowing look in his eyes. “I’d have done the same thing if you were alone.”

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